Summary Discussion
Beyond Waste as a central theme of funding helps drive innovative approaches. This is demonstrated in the high solids digester model, and in co-digestion of manure and food waste. Zero waste objectives mean a search for recovering all beneficial products and thus decreasing potential for environmental impacts. As an example: biogas cleanup followed by nutrient recovery creates advantaged multi-product market opportunity. Further, digester biogas clean-up will allow for future concentrated carbon dioxide recovery for compressed gas and algal bio-diesel production.
Overall project development and analytical work is advanced when multi-disciplinary research teams work together. Process technology, climate impacts and project economics can be addressed together. Encouraging multi-disciplinary teams in future work will create more comprehensive outcomes for biomass use.
A similar synergy occurs when state agencies work cooperatively to select and direct research areas. Agency goals are met while missions and visions are clarified. The bioenergy team staffed by voluntary support from multiple agencies including Agriculture, Commerce, Ecology, Natural Resources, Transportation, and Energy Extension is an example where coordinated efforts have yielded benefits to Washington State in creating a renewable fuels industry, sustainable growth, and addressing atmospheric carbon.
Finally, agencies and university research teams must reach out to commercial development interests to build out renewable and sustainable businesses and markets. Developing a commercially viable enterprise is the valley of death for many great ideas that have had substantial university research complete. Addressing this challenge may be seen as mission creep /"not our job" for the Department of Ecology and research universities. However, this fits well within the purview of the new Department of Commerce. A stronger Waste to Resources partnership is needed between the private sector, Departments of Ecology, Commerce and Agriculture and the universities ensure emerging state funded bioenergy technologies become fully commercialized. Future state funding awards to the universities should keep this view in mind when contracts are being developed.
Alternatively, sustainable business development from waste resources may be viewed as “not our job”. Commercial developers must be sought out to work with sponsoring agencies and universities that are capable of developing beyond waste practices into business models that embrace and energize waste to resource goals, while creating sustainable operations.
The research poster presentations clearly demonstrated that agency and university staff understand the opportunity for Washington biomass resources. These opportunities include:
- Liquid and gas fuels include methane, CNG, bio-diesel, hydrogen, ethanol, bunker no. 6 bio-oil, green gasoline.
- Bio-refineries generate base organic compounds for further refining or chemical precursors for other products
- Recovered carbon and nutrients represent a sustainable advantage over disposal
- Organic resources can be used to improve soil productivity while sequestering carbon
- Life Cycle Assessment demonstrates that recovering organic materials for reuse as fuels has lower overall impacts on the environment than disposal by a wide margin.
- Economic analyses indicate that use of the resources for fuels would be further supported with development of carbon markets.
- Competition for feedstock particularly industrial feed stock may become fierce.
- Pre-feasibility engineering and economic assessment indicate that large scale cellulosic ethanol facilities are practical at a production cost in the range of $1.00 - $1.20 / gallon. Capital cost of $100-$250 M may be reduced substantially by co-locating cellulosic ethanol plants with current pulp and paper facilities.
- Fuel recovery from intermediate scale pyrolysis facilities can create bunker fuels, and further refining creates green gasoline and ethanol at a cost of $1.43/gal.
Feedback and Comments:
Feedback through formal evaluations and comments was that the workshop was an outstanding event. Washington state agency projects funded through Department of Agriculture, Community Trade and Economic Development, and Ecology were highlighted. Ecology projects were from Beyond Waste investments in Waste to Fuels Technology (Model Toxic Control Account) and Organics Waste to Resources (Waste Reduction Recycling and Litter Control Account). The opening session presentations highlighted the need for a Beyond Waste focus as a first step to a viable and sustainable economy that values the triple bottom line (profitable, socially equitable, and ecologically sustainable).
Summary Discussion
Beyond Waste as a central theme of funding helps drive innovative approaches. This is demonstrated in the high solids digester model, and in co-digestion of manure and food waste. Zero waste objectives mean a search for recovering all beneficial products and thus decreasing potential for environmental impacts. As an example: biogas cleanup followed by nutrient recovery creates advantaged multi-product market opportunity. Further, digester biogas clean-up will allow for future concentrated carbon dioxide recovery for compressed gas and algal bio-diesel production.
Overall project development and analytical work is advanced when multi-disciplinary research teams work together. Process technology, climate impacts and project economics can be addressed together. Encouraging multi-disciplinary teams in future work will create more comprehensive outcomes for biomass use.
A similar synergy occurs when state agencies work cooperatively to select and direct research areas. Agency goals are met while missions and visions are clarified. The bioenergy team staffed by voluntary support from multiple agencies including Agriculture, Commerce, Ecology, Natural Resources, Transportation, and Energy Extension is an example where coordinated efforts have yielded benefits to Washington State in creating a renewable fuels industry, sustainable growth, and addressing atmospheric carbon.
Finally, agencies and university research teams must reach out to commercial development interests to build out renewable and sustainable businesses and markets. Developing a commercially viable enterprise is the valley of death for many great ideas that have had substantial university research complete. Addressing this challenge may be seen as mission creep /"not our job" for the Department of Ecology and research universities. However, this fits well within the purview of the new Department of Commerce. A stronger Waste to Resources partnership is needed between the private sector, Departments of Ecology, Commerce and Agriculture and the universities ensure emerging state funded bioenergy technologies become fully commercialized. Future state funding awards to the universities should keep this view in mind when contracts are being developed.
Alternatively, sustainable business development from waste resources may be viewed as “not our job”. Commercial developers must be sought out to work with sponsoring agencies and universities that are capable of developing beyond waste practices into business models that embrace and energize waste to resource goals, while creating sustainable operations.
The research poster presentations clearly demonstrated that agency and university staff understand the opportunity for Washington biomass resources. These opportunities include:
- Liquid and gas fuels include methane, CNG, bio-diesel, hydrogen, ethanol, bunker no. 6 bio-oil, green gasoline.
- Bio-refineries generate base organic compounds for further refining or chemical precursors for other products
- Recovered carbon and nutrients represent a sustainable advantage over disposal
- Organic resources can be used to improve soil productivity while sequestering carbon
- Life Cycle Assessment demonstrates that recovering organic materials for reuse as fuels has lower overall impacts on the environment than disposal by a wide margin.
- Economic analyses indicate that use of the resources for fuels would be further supported with development of carbon markets.
- Competition for feedstock particularly industrial feed stock may become fierce.
- Pre-feasibility engineering and economic assessment indicate that large scale cellulosic ethanol facilities are practical at a production cost in the range of $1.00 - $1.20 / gallon. Capital cost of $100-$250 M may be reduced substantially by co-locating cellulosic ethanol plants with current pulp and paper facilities.
- Fuel recovery from intermediate scale pyrolysis facilities can create bunker fuels, and further refining creates green gasoline and ethanol at a cost of $1.43/gal.
Feedback and Comments:
Feedback through formal evaluations and comments was that the workshop was an outstanding event. Washington state agency projects funded through Department of Agriculture, Community Trade and Economic Development, and Ecology were highlighted. Ecology projects were from Beyond Waste investments in Waste to Fuels Technology (Model Toxic Control Account) and Organics Waste to Resources (Waste Reduction Recycling and Litter Control Account). The opening session presentations highlighted the need for a Beyond Waste focus as a first step to a viable and sustainable economy that values the triple bottom line (profitable, socially equitable, and ecologically sustainable).